The thing about movie or TV music cues is that they are usually rather short, and the segments of Vince Guaraldi’s score for this 1969 Charlie Brown TV special are musical miniatures – the longest here stretching barely beyond two minutes.

That said, the chance to hear his music for Peanuts in a larger ensemble than his previous trio recordings, and the presence of some of Hollywood’s finest studio and session players, makes this quite a plateful of tiny treats. Even a minuscule cue, such as the minute-long ‘Linus and Lucy’ has some fine flute soloing over the rhythm section with punctuations and long chords from the band.

To make a virtue of brevity, Lee Mendelson Film Productions have elected to issue this on a 12-inch 45rpm green vinyl disc for Record Store Day. As Charlie Brown and friends face off against the gang led by Peppermint Patty (whose track features baritone sax and Victor Feldman’s vibes) Guaraldi’s music, as ever, catches nuances of the characters, which we hear right from the get-go with the enlarged ensemble playing the Charlie Brown theme.

Those of us fascinated by the evolution of film scores will love the extra tracks giving us alternative versions of several pieces, plus a brief rehearsal take of the opening theme. I rather suspect this will mainly appeal to Peanuts fanatics, but there’s some fine playing here by a great cast of musical characters to complement Schulz’s visual ones.

The most effervescent playing is in the reprise of ‘You’re In Love, Charlie Brown’, with great solos from Feldman on vibes, Herb Ellis and Guaraldi himself, which encapsulate this slightly strange album’s constant feel-good factor.